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The English tenor, James Geer, studied at Magdalen College, Oxford University, where he sang as an Academical Clerk in the College Choir, Trinity College of Music and on the Opera Course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 2008. While at College James won numerous scholarships and competitions including the Morag Noble Award, the Catto Scholarship and the Principal’s Award for the outstanding student performance of the year.
After graduating James Geer was invited to become a Britten/Pears Scholar and has appeared in numerous performances at the Snape Maltings, notably as Male Chorus in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, conducted by David Parry and Mathan in George Frideric Handel's Athalia, conducted by Richard Egarr. He has also appeared at the Snape Easter Festival in W.A. Mozart's Requiem conducted by Bernard Labadie and at the Aldeburgh Festival where he performed B. Britten's Sechs Holderlin Fragmente with Malcolm Martineau. This concert was recently broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
James Geer's operatic roles performed while at college include Don Ottavio in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Monsieur Triquet in Eugene Onegin, Gonzalves in L’Heure Espagnol, L’Aumonier in Francis Poulenc's Les Dialogues des Carmelites, Duncan in The Albatross, The Singer in Beatrice Cenci and Le Berger Igor Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex. Roles elsewhere include Male Chorus in B. Britten's The Rape of Lucretia at the Snape Maltings, Acis (Acis and Galatea) with Edinburgh Studio Opera and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance for Haddo House Opera. James has recently been covering roles for Glyndebourne on Tour and Music Theatre Wales.
Concert appearances have included L’Aumonier in Les Dialogues des Carmelites with Stephane Deneve and the RSNO, Dido and Aeneas with Nicholas McGegan and the English Chamber Orchestra, both at the Edinburgh International Festival. James Geer has performed G.F. Handel's The Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall under Sir David Willcocks as well as with numerous choral societies throughout the UK, including Leeds Philharmonic Society, Bristol Choral Society and at the Hexham Music Festival. Most recently, he performed B. Britten's Saint Nicolas with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and G.F. Handel's Saul with the BBCNOW under Nicholas Kraemer. Forthcoming concert engagements include G.F. Handel's The Messiah with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Recent recital appearances include Schubert songs and W.A. Mozart arias at the Wigmore Hall accompanied by Malcolm Martineau and a series of concerts entitled "Unexplored Britten" with pianist Ronald Woodley. A recent studio recording of B. Britten's songs with Malcolm will be available on the Onyx label later this year. |
